Optical apparatuses such as digital still cameras and video cameras generally have a zoom lens mounted therein and a multiplicity of suitable zoom lenses have been proposed (See Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2006-171492, for example). Nowadays, portability has become extremely important for optical apparatuses such as digital still cameras and steps toward miniaturizing zoom lenses which are photographic lenses and making zoom lenses lightweight have been taken in order to miniaturize the camera main body and render same thin and lightweight. Among such zoom lenses, a zoom lens in which a portion of the lens system comprises an optical element that is capable of bending the path of light through approximately 90 degrees has been proposed. By installing a zoom lens of this kind, where the transition is made from a housed state to a usage state, there is no protrusion from the camera main body, which affords superior portability in the usage state and also makes a large contribution toward creating a thinner and more miniature camera.
Further, a large number of zoom lenses that comprise an optical element that makes it possible to bend the path of light through approximately 90 degrees excel with respect to miniaturization and the production of a thinner camera and, therefore, a focal length of the zoom lens in the wide-angle end state is large and an enlargement of the field of view is ignored. Hence, users have been able to photograph over a wider range and obtain results of a perspective that is closer to the photographic object. Conventional zoom lenses that are capable of bending the path of light comprise a plurality of lens groups which is disposed in order from the object and a first lens group which is disposed to closest to the object among the plurality of lens groups is provided with a light path bending element which bends the path of light and a plurality of lens components which are disposed closer to the object than the light path bending element.